The Surprising Belief That Geese Grow On Trees

This surprised me because it is so unlikely and in present times seems so dumb. But it is apparently true that only a few hundred years ago some people believed that a species of goose (the Barnacle Goose) grew on trees. Seriously! How anyone could believe that is beyond me.

Moreover the lifecycle was thought to be partly aquatic and, wait for it, the barnacle goose gave its name to barnacles, not the other way around.

Whether this was a genuine belief or perhaps persisted simply because it allowed such geese to be deemed fish and therefore eaten on christian holy days is a little unclear.

Strange and ridiculous to be sure. So here’s my question: what beliefs do we currently hold that will be viewed with similar incredulity by those coming after us? [Image: wikipedia]

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